(film review) - Inception

This is a film you may need to see twice, but if you generally understand the concept, then you'll pay attention through the whole film and still ask yourself the inevitable question at the end.

That question is, "so, was it real or was it a dream?"

A lot of people have their pwn interpretation of the film and some would say that it was real and wasn't a dream. Some people would say it was a dream. Me on the other hand, I'm just going to remain quiet until I can see it again.

This film is nothing from short, nothing from linear, nothing from simple and nothing from half-arsed! When I say Christopher Nolan makes a film, what I mean by that is, from screen direction to music, everything just seems epic.

Just to give you an idea of the film. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) designed a machine that enables himself and his partner Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), to perform corporate espionage by entering the subconscious minds of their targets, using two-level "dream within a dream" strategies to "extract" valuable information. As "extractors" they carry a "totem" which has a special and personalized behaviour which is only known to the owner. This object is used to determine if they are within another person's dream.

The problem is, you may not know if your are in a dream or not. Behaviour patterns change within people or the "reality so, if you feel you are in a dream, you'd take out your totem and use it to determine reality. Dom wants to extract information from Cillian Murphy but needs a new Architect because an architect with personal issues will never be able to get the tasks done. This problem arises after Dom teaches a young gifted and smart architect how to think outside the box and manipulate their dreams but then realise that a certain woman keeps appearing in every inception. This is Dom's Angry wife. So as well as Dom trying to fight his own personal demon's and reach his main goal, he has to uncover the truth and also gain his goal the best way he can without too much trouble. Obviously, there is much more complications that arise when you are in someone's dream who realises they are dreaming. Moreover, when you are not in control of the dream and other people are.

This is a definate MUST WATCH! Even buy it on video if you have too.

(Film Review) - Predators

I'm old school. I saw the very first Predator film. It was scary. I was young though. It starred Arnold Schwartzenegger, had Bill Duke in it, as he was the very few notable black faces back then and they were out stuck in the jungle, somewhere and there must have been 12 of them or so getting picked off, one-by-one like target practice by an unknown assailant. THAT was predator. THAT was where it all started. THAT was scary. But with Hollywood trying to create suspense, thrillers, horrors, etc and often getting it wrong, they can only resort to remaking films that don't need remaking and making them completely and utterly crap.

This film on the other hand attempts to mimic the very first film and doesn't do too bad, per say.

The film for me was engaging as it does start off with the lead character Royce (Adrien Brody) waking up finding himself falling from the sky and landing in this Jungle. For me that was pretty random, but I guess, there have been weirder ways to start a film, right? Anyway, he wonders about and bumps into a few other people, Mexican drug cartel enforcer Cuchillo (Danny Trejo), Spetsnaz soldier Nikolai (Oleg Taktarov), Israel Defense Forces sniper Isabelle (Alice Braga), Revolutionary United Front officer Mombasa (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), death row inmate Stans (Walton Goggins), Yakuza enforcer Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien), and doctor Edwin (Topher Grace) and then realises that the group of people are all in this "jungle" for a specific reason as they all have some kind of "background" which eventually lands them there. It is also noted that, they aren't even on earth.
It's not long until they are forced to band together and work as a team, to help fight attacking creatures and whatever is out there picking them off one by one. However, in saying that, there has to be that odd character that doesn't want to co-operate and act like a complete idiot to only get that 'Victory' kill. The one where you cheer loudly or in the inside saying, 'That fool had it coming'.
They wonder about some more until they bump into a man Noland (Laurence Fishburne), an air assault soldier who has survived on the planet for years by scavenging and hiding in an abandoned structure. He explains that the Predators sharpen their killing skills by collecting warriors and dangerous beasts from other worlds and bringing them to the planet to hunt and there is also a tiff going on between the predators. The Big ones verse the Small Ones. I don't know what to make of that, really...but the bigger predators did look really cool. Properly like, "Wow, what big teeth you have, predator guy-thing".
Not to spoil too much, the film has one or two more unexpected additions/twists and then ultimately ends on a satisfied note. Well I was satisfied. I couldn't help change facial expressions with a scene in the film in which I thought was unnecessary and cheesy, but other than that, it was a good watch.

I'll end this with, it's not Alien(s) or Alien 3 and it's not the Aliens vs Predator or Predator 2. It's more Predator, less tangy and a slice of cheese. Good watch.

(film review) - 4,3,2,1

Now if you know who Noel Clarke is, well he is a bit of a grinder. I say this because it is only now that I have seen him on THIS grind to be as far as to where he is now. Not only has he been in TV Shows such as The Bill, Casualty, Doctors and even Doctor who, he is also getting around in film. Smart guy (unless he was born with lots of money), saved the funds and made a very iconic and memorable film called Kidulthood in which he wrote. After the success of that, Adulthood in which he wrote, directed and produced and he has basically been on a role hopping in and out of directing, co-directing, writing and acting in many films. However, this isn't about him, this is about his film he wrote, co-produced and co-directed.

If you have seen Vantage point then you will understand how this film goes. Like Vantage point, this is one story, but instead of spiralling around 7 people; only around 4. 7 was bad....it got long winded. Anyway, so the story begins with Joanne (Emma Roberts) feels that she can't get a break. She is chained down in a dead end supermarket job while her friends are all out having fun and doing exciting things. Her friend Cassandra has been talking to a guy over the internet and is getting ready to jet off to New York to meet her "Internet" boyfriend. Another friend, Kerrys is a no-holds barred one woman army on a female crusade fighting for female liberation and Shannon plays the leading role who is a girl who lives with her separated dad and has a lot of problems of her own. The craziness erupts when Diamond thieves sends their separate worlds on a collision course with not only each other, but fate itself. Not only do these 4 girls have to deal with their own problems they are about to have 3 days to discover the truth behind their problems spanning 2 cities and for all of them, around one central problem starter, The Diamonds.

The film is watchable and not only is it consistent, it does keep you intrigued as to how different these four girls lives are and what they get up to in their spare time. Sometimes you can judge a book by it's cover and often in society if not all the time, people do this, but only if people knew what the other person was going through and we often took the time to listen to each other and read between the lines, we could solve a lot of problems before it is too late. This film touches on that in a nice way as every girl has an issue at home and is something that all teenagers and adults alike can relate to. The fact that rapper Eve was in this film did knock me for 6 when I saw her, but her role wasn't that important, more interesting if anything but then that WAS the general idea with the film. A lot of things happen behind closed doors or over the internet behind screen monitors. Trust me, it might have been funny to watch in this film, but have you seen Gamer, with Gerald Butler?

Not a film you will feel was the best watch of your life, the year or even a minute so maybe not even a DVD purchase, but if you want a close to reality English drama, this would be right there in the ranks of Kidulthood and Adulthood. Interesting, decent acting, realistic although a touch outlandish but worthy to put in that collection of yours. Go see it.

(Film Review) Iron Man 2

Tony Stark: "I am Iron Man". Wow! What a way to end a film, eh? Then if you stayed to the end of the credits, you were treated to a short scene starring Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) where Nick Fury talks to Tony about The 'Avenger Initiative'. Exciting right? More films, yaaay! Avenger's what? I'm sure your happy nonetheless. So, word on a new Iron Man film featuring side-kick War Machine must have got some people sooo hyped up they accidently excreted on themselves.

Anyway, just before I go into this, Terrence Howard should have kept to being 'James Rupert Rhodes', I'm pretty sure he could have made a pretty penny from some sequels and maybe his own film, but hey....whatever really. Someone is Laughing somewhere.

Now that the world knows Tony Stark is Iron Man, he is still seemingly, untouchable. Senator Stern wants the Iron Man suit for the U.S Government, but although it might have deemed a super idea to fight crime and terrorism throughout the world, Tony Stark refuses, knowing that his suit in the wrong hands will be dangerous.
In the mean time, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) tracks down Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) who was apprended after he pulled a stint at the Circuit de Monaco whilst Stark was driving, caught him off-gaurd and well, almost killed him. Might I just add here that, Tony Stark has a portable Iron Man suit which is dressed up as a Briefcase. That scene was just exciting.

So, after lapsing at his own party, a very drunk Tony Stark upsets his pal Rhodey who then puts on the "other" suit and they have an Iron Fist-de-cuff which results in Iron Man getting his Arse whooped and Rhodey stealing the suit. Given to the Milatary who tamper with the suit and buy Arms from Justin Hammer, they make the other suit into a War Machine and with Ivan working with Justice Hammer, he makes an amy of Super Robots both, Navy, Air Force and Military to be programmed to kill Tony Stark led by an in-house player.

All a bit much, right? Well I can assure you that this film was interesting, exciting, but short. Maybe not even short as in length-wise, but the fight scenes just didn't seem long enough. I know it's Iron Man, but he was barly battered from pillar to post.

i thoroughly enjoyed this film and left the cinema thinking, that was great. But when you thought the film through, you wanted more, expected more and well, although War Machine WAS more and there WAS more enemies if you want to include the drones; it just didn't seem like it was enough. I wanted to leave the cinema thinking, The Invincible Iron Man, but I never.

You'll enjoy this anyway. Funny where it needs to be, serious where it needs to be and also, incase you didn't know, wait till AFTER the credits. The Film actually stars TWO Hammer's. Think about it.